What every longshot, come from behind, underdog will tell ya is this... The other guy, may in fact, be the favorite. The odds may be stacked against you, fair enough. But what the odds don't know is...this isn't a math test.

A big ten title for us plus sparty being super pissed-off is more than enough for me to root for Ohio. The fact that I'm sure state wouldn't understand why we'd cheer for OSU to win makes it even better. Go Ohio, bring us a big ten title

“True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is noise — the other, loyalty.”

"This is the EMU game, not the emo game."

If you compare the way Ohio has been playing on the road vs how Sparty has been playing at home it seems pretty unlikely that the best outcome occurs. Either way I'm rooting for Michigan to win a B1G regular season championship. It's been too long!

“True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is noise — the other, loyalty.”

Not to be "that guy" in the thread but aren't we actually kinda better off with a two seed....cough, cough.

Not that banners aren't cool and all but if it means getting an easier road to the B1G title game and maybe....just maybe....a two seed in the big dance (if we were to win the B1G tourny) wouldn't MSU winning today be better? And wouldnt we also get a banner for that?

Edit: didnt see the above that we are locked into the two seed. Well if that's the case then FUCK STATE & GO BUCKS!

The Big 10 champs the the regular season champs. The tourney is basically for fun. I'd rather get the Big 10 title and a three seed over a two seed in the NCAA tournament. Besides, I think a two and a three seed are pretty much the same thing in the NCAA tournament.

I would say that because the whole tournament is on a neutral floor being a 2 vs a 3 makes no difference at all. The only difference is who you play in the first game. The 3 plays Indiana or Purdue most likely and the 2 plays a desparate Northwestern. Either way we play Ohio in the semis in Indy.

Not once in my lifetime have I seen Ohio and MSU do something that benefits us, and I don't see it happening twice today (MSU losing/OSU winning). Sullinger, i.e., the most overrated player in 5 years, will roll over, little bro will win, and those two birds with one stone will once again remind me why I hate both programs in all sports.

If Ohio does happen to win, I'll spend the rest of the evening pantless, wife objections be damned.

That's not true. They've helped us in football at times. In 1998, for instance, MSU was the only team to beat OSU, allowing us to share the title. Two years later MSU beat Purdue (whom we lost to), allowing us to again share the title.

MSU hiring Bobby Williams and John L. Smith, and OSU hiring Luke Fickell, were also two nice gifts to us.

PSU is 11, Nebraska is 12. They split their season series. Penn State is 0-1 vs. MSU, 0-4 against the top 3. Nebraska is 0-2 against MSU and 0-5 against the top 3, so no matter how the MSU-Ohio game goes, PSU wins the tiebreaker.

This reminds me of the 2006 season when we needed USC to lose and ND looked like the team to do it, so many people had to grudgingly root for the Irish (who naturally blew it, but UCLA came through. Not that it mattered).

This game comes down to one question: will Ohio play like the team everyone projected them to be at the beginning of the season, or will they play with as little passion as Peyton Manning and Tennessee showed against Nebraska on Jan 2, 1998? This is why it sucks to have to depend on someone else to win a game.

We had a chance and lost a game we shouldn't have. Don't get me wrong, I will be happy with a State loss and a share of the Championship and can think of nothing better for this team and these seniors but cheering on ohio is just not an option. I can't make exceptions for a day on this.

Think how special it must be to end your career as a Wolverine with a Big Ten title. I wouldn't wish anything else on any athlete, regardless of who needs to win for them to get it.

At the risk of sounding like I'm passing judgement on anothers fandom, an attitude that wants anything less than an Ohio win today is probably better classified as "hating Ohio basketball" than "loving Michigan basketball". I would bet you anything the team is currently watching the game and pulling like hell for Ohio to win.

We bring you to Michigan to take care of Michigan. Your job is to protect that block M.
-Carol Hutchins

They've got the high recruiting rankings, but looking at their roster isn't too intimidating. Craft isn't much of an offensive threat, Sullinger is good but he isn't unguardable (especially if you have depth and size like MSU does). The rest of their have ability but they aren't terribly explosive on offense. They also don't have a guy like Diebler this year who can make you pay if you collapse your D.

I'd rather have MSU's roster, guys like THJ/Burke/Smotz, and Purdue/Indiana have a ton of weapons too.

This year's OSU squad reminds me more of a poor-man's Izzo team (lots of big, strong, athletic guys and a smart point guard) rather than an elite collection of talent.

they are that talented. you didn't mention buford who is probably a first-round talent; bad year though. they also have 4* and 5* talent on the bench that don't play much. matta is just a terrible coach.

But it's not just recruiting rankings, but Draft rankings too. They haven't all disappointed. There are lottery picks all over that roster. If Green makes it in it'll be at the bottom. And far higher than Burke will eventually be drafted. And we're going to finish in front of them.

The NBA is still drafting guys on potential rather than performance. Like I said, OSU has a bunch of great athletes. But to me basketball talent is about the ability to play basketball, and especially on offense to be versatile and to be able to get your own shot or create offense for others. Watching OSU I don't see guys who can do that. I would take Draymond Green over Sullinger any day of the week.

Buford and Thomas are big, athletic guys who can shoot, but I think THJ can do a lot more on the court. So can a guy like Hummel. Nobody on OSU's bench is scoring even 4 points a game.

Their lineup is basically a great college post player (Sullinger), two athletic wings who can shoot, a point guard who can't score, and a bench full of anonymous bigs. That's a lot less than what they had last year or in year's past, and I would swap rosters with a few Big Ten teams if I was in Matta's shoes.

At the same time you're lauding his coaching. If they're great athletes but playing bad basketball, that's on coaching. THJ has had a bad season, but it hasn't tanked our season. I'll be shocked if Green is doing anything in the League of note in 5 years.

Though it is funny how much more smoothly they'd run as a team if they had Burke. He'd fix a lot of their problems.

Just thought the "he's a terrible coach" line was completely outrageous. I definitely think scouting/recruiting has way more to do with being a good coach than X's and O's. Matta dropped the ball in pretty stunning fashion on Burke and I think he's paying the price for it.

On Green, I guess I'm saying I'll take a big who can pass and shoot outside like he can over an NBA prospect any day.

On THJ, not sure how bad his season has been. Still averaged close to 15 a game and just had a little drought from outside, but is still a great shooter (same thing sort of happened with Vogrich for a while too).

I guess on OSU, my thinking is they really just have 3 really good players and a solid but unspectacular point guard. Obviously that was enough tonight (LOL, Izzo), but I would much rather have 6-7 rounds in the clip like MSU has and like I think Michigan does this year.

And in closing, I realize no one will read this buried in the middle of an enormous open thread from hours ago, but that's just how I roll.

they aren't goona take a dive to just hurt us, I mean you know they get the Big Ten title also if they win right? And if they lose they are in third place and the 3rd seed ( well the 3rd seed with a win or not} but I am sure they will make a run and make this a game.

21 years of coaching and every senior who stayed had at least 1 big ten title... That is what " Those who stay will be champions" will really get you Ohio native Bo Schembechler.

I can't believe there are experts out there still saying Ohio is a Final Four team. You can't be as mentally soft as they are and expect to blow through the tournament unless some of the better teams in their bracket get upset.

Early in the season each team is trying to develop chemistry and get a flow going. We're a good example having to develop/integrate Trey into the team. OSU did well on talent alone early on but now that the coaching and strategy sinks in, the good teams have gotten better while OSU is found wanting.

You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four. ~Dan Birdwell

Yeah that's how they're designed, that crazy backsweat the spartan players develop was wieghing them down, costing them wins. Hi-tech stuff that funnels the sweat down their spines and into their butt cracks. Now look at 'em.

/s ( or wine, take your pick)

You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four. ~Dan Birdwell

I couldn't think that up if I was drunk and surrounded by 5 retarded girls and erogenous looking door knob. Okay, actually I think I could but I don't think whoever thought this up on 11W was in a room with 5 retarded girls when he said this...

You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four. ~Dan Birdwell

Matta was very successful at Xavier, when he did not have the same institutional advantages. He's not a Beilein but his teams are pretty solid at both ends. His problem now is more with team chemistry being off for some reason.

he had at least 3 nba players on those teams. so i stand by my point that he had more talent than probably all of the other A-10 teams, hence his success. he can recruit. he's a mediocre coach at best.

damn the nuts with a 18-5 advantage on the road at the Line. never thought I would see that in the big ten. Both teams are being rather physical to be honest. Not having Dawson is going to hurt msu at some point in the 2nd half.